Zelda Fitzgerald passed away on this day in 1948. At the time, she was a patient at Highland Hospital in Asheville. It was there that a kitchen fire broke out in a building where Zelda, awaiting a shock-therapy treatment, was locked in an upstairs room with a number of other women, all who perished.
She quietly expected great things to happen to her, and no doubt thatβs one of the reasons why they did. β Zelda Fitzgerald
For more on Zelda and an Asheville-based effort to commemorate her life and art, read this story.
Thanks for posting. I’m a big fan of Scott Fitzgerald and have always been intrigued by his wife, Zelda. I sympathize with them both — tragic.
However, I’ve seen this picture often in web searches for Zelda and don’t believe it’s her. My guess would be it’s Ginevra King.
Thoughts?
Anyway, thanks again.
Hi Heidi, well this is a bit of a mystery! I did some digging myself and now I’m not sure. I feel confident that the photo is not of Ginevra King, but you may be right that it isn’t Zelda, either. If I figure it out, I’ll let you know.
I did not know about Zelda’s connection to Asheville. Thank you for sharing this. I clicked the link & read the other article too. The Lee Smith book mentioned there sounds like an interesting read for this summer.